Indian Youth Leader Proposed Russian Culture Centre in Gujarat During Meeting with President Putin

Moscow / New Delhi – 28 February
2026 : Madhish Parikh, a youth leader from Gujarat, proposed establishing a
Russian Culture Centre in Gujarat during his meeting with Russian President
Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The meeting took place during “We Are
Together” international volunteer forum, where Parikh was the only Indian
participant to meet with President Putin.

Parikh told President Putin
that he has been advocating with the Russian House in India to set up the
culture centre in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The
proposed centre would serve as a platform for cultural exchange and cooperation
between Russia and India and strengthen Indo-Russian relationships.

The meeting came ahead of
President Putin’s scheduled official visit to India. During their conversation,
President Putin said he would personally brief Prime Minister Modi about his
discussion with Parikh.

Parikh is the Founding
Director of the BRICS Youth Alliance and Elixir Foundation. He introduced
himself to President Putin as someone from Prime Minister Modi’s home state and
shared that his first visit to Russia was as a recipient of the International
Prize “We Are Together” for humanitarian work during the COVID-19
pandemic. He now serves as an Ambassador of the Prize.

During the meeting, Parikh
thanked President Putin for Mission Dobro, under which young Russian volunteers
supported humanitarian projects in India. He emphasized the need for more such
cross-border volunteer initiatives between India and Russia.

Parikh signed an agreement
with the International Association of Volunteers – DOBRO. The agreement is to
create expanded opportunities and leadership pathways for young people from
BRICS countries through the BRICS Youth Alliance, which Parikh founded as an
international platform for youth cooperation supported by the BRICS Project
Office in the Ulyanovsk Region.

Parikh founded BRICS Youth
Alliance, a united movement of young leaders shaping diplomacy, innovation, and
change across BRICS and beyond. The alliance organised first-ever International
BRICS Educational Expedition in India in partnership with the Federal Agency
for Youth Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Parikh is a recipient of the
National Youth Award, India’s highest civilian honour for youth service. In
2025, he received the BRICS & SCO Young Leaders Award for Best Young Social
Entrepreneur, selected from more than 400 nominees across 13 countries. He has
represented India at international forums including those linked to the World
Economic Forum and United Nations.

Parikh meeting Putin video link: https://x.com/RT_India_news/status/1996562631298334745?s=20

Government of Russian Federation’s Official Release on
Kremlin: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/78642